1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a method for controlling an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
An image forming apparatus equipped with a processing apparatus which performs finishing such as bookbinding processing has conventionally been used.
As the image forming apparatus used for such purpose, a high-speed and high-performance image forming apparatus is generally used. Such apparatus can effectively be utilized not only for bookbinding processing, but other purposes needed in offices. Accordingly, two kinds of works, namely an image forming work performing bookbinding processing and an image forming work not performing bookbinding processing, are performed by using the image forming apparatus. In addition, the high-speed and high-performance image forming apparatus generally has a function to previously perform setting of a plurality of image forming work contents (called job setting) to execute the plurality of set jobs in order.
In such image forming apparatus some jobs need the processing by a processing apparatus which requires a warm-up operation in an image forming work. If the warm-up operation of the processing apparatus has not been completed when such job is executed, such job and all jobs to be executed after the job need to wait until the warm-up operation is completed. This is very inefficient.
For solving this problem, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2006-15683 describes a technique to improve an efficiency of an image forming apparatus by executing, among input jobs, a job (hereinafter referred to as a warm-up unrequiring job) not performing finishing which requires an warm-up operation in priority to a job (hereinafter referred to as a warm-up requiring job) performing finishing which requires the warm-up operation so that other jobs become executable even during the warm-up operation of an processing apparatus.